Life Is Beautiful

If you focus too much on the presence of humour in this film and your enjoyment of it, then I think you've missed the true point of this film. For me I found that it explores the idea of beauty and love in the darkest of circumstances. The feeling of wanting to laugh and weep with sadness was never-ending. The story begins with the clownish Guido coming across the love of his life as she literally falls into his arms. He then sets off to chase after this girl, eventually making her his wife and they have a son together. It is a tale of warm-hearted sentimentality whilst a dark side story begins to creep in, one of a racial purity programme in Italy. Things then take a turn for the worse when Guido and his little son are listed as Jews and taken off to a concentration camp. What is so remarkable about this film is the lengths Guido goes to protect his son from the evils of the camp by turning it all into a game, a game designed to save his son's life. He does all this while still trying to reach out to his wife, kept away from him. The film may not to be to everyone's taste at the beginning and the frantic dialogue and comedy may be a little hard to follow at first but I highly recommend persevering. I eventually forgot I was even reading subtitles and become to warm to Guido and the relationship he had with his son. Some may consider it overly sentimental and maybe even an insult to the pain and suffering Holocaust victims had to endure. On the contrary, every step Guido takes to protect his son highlights the heart-wrenching truth behind his smiles.

This is one of the most heart-warming and heart-wrenching movies of all time. Really develops the classical idea that tragedy & comedy are merely two sides of the same coin, and both develop out of a character flaw. Made most poignant because of it's understanding of human psychology and development. The father sacrifices everything to keep his son feeling safe and secure - his emotions and anxieties containted - and this is unfortunately misunderstood by some to be mocking or making light of the holocaust. It is not, and it comes at a cost. I cried openly at the end.